Arm holding means for embalming bodies preparatory to burial



D. P. MARLER 2,793,417

ARM HOLDING MEANS FOR EMBALMING BODIES PREPARATORY T0 BURIAL.

May 28, 1957 Filed May 10, 1956 FIG.3

. IN V EN TOR. 3% .PMarjzr United States Patent ARM HOLDING MEANS FORElVIBALMlNG BODIES PREPARATORY TO BURIAL Don P. Marler, University City,Mo., assignor to Royal Bond, Inc., St. Louis, Mo., a corporation ofMissouri Application May 10, 1956, Serial No. 584,039

9 Claims. or. 27-21 This invention relates in general to certain new anduseful improvements in arm holding means for embalming bodiespreparatory to burial and, more particularly, to novel means and methodsfor restraining and positioning the arms of the corpse during variousembalming operations.

In the embalming of bodies, the embahner frequently encountersdifficulty in restraining and positioning the arms of the corpse. For aperiod of several hours after death the muscles and tissues are soft andflexible and become progressively harder until rigor mortis finallyoccurs making it necessary for the embalmer to reposition the arms fromtime to time. Furthermore, after the body has been dressed by theembalmer and it is being placed in the cofiin or casket, the arms areoften displaced by the movement and make it very difiicult to transferthe body from the embalming table.

It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to provide armholding means for restraining the arms of the corpse during theembalming and dressing procedures.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide means forpositioning the arms of the corpse during embalming, which means isrelatively inexpensive and simple to use, and which efficiently holdsthe arms in position while the body is being moved from place to placeduring dressing and placement in the coffin.

It is another object of the present invention to provide arm holdingmeans of the type stated which can be readily cleaned and sterilized andwill not become permanently soiled or fouled when used on bodies whichhave undergone post-mortem operations.

With the above and other objects in View, my invention resides in thenovel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination ofparts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the armholding means constructed in accordance with and embodying the presentinvention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 22 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are diagrammatic views of the arm holding means in twodifferent operative positions;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of thepresent invention; and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing the modified form of the presentinvention in operative position.

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawing,which illustrates a practical embodiment of the present invention, Adesignates an arm holding device comprising two arm grapples 1 and 2respectively provided with straps 3 and 4 which are adjustably connectedby means of a buckle 5 or any other suitable fastening device. The armgrapple 1 is preferably formed of aluminum bar-stock and integrallyincludes two hook members 6 and 7 connected by an arcuate bight 8 havinga skewed curvilinear, somewhat V-shaped, contour. The

arm grapple 2 is also formed of aluminum bar-stock, in shape is a mirrorimage or asymmetric duplicate of the arm grapple 1 and integrallyinclude two hook members 9 and 10 connected by an arcuate bight 11. Thuswhen the arm grapple 1 is operatively engaged with one arm of thecorpse, the other arm grapple 2 will similarly engage the other arm ofthe corpse. As will be seen by reference to Fig. 1, the straps 3, 4, arerespectively turned back at ends around the bights 8, 11, and riveted orotherwise similarly secured in the formation of loops 12, 13,respectively. It should be noted that the arm grapples 1, 2, are each ofnon-symmetrical shape so that they may be shifted within the loops 12,13, to various desired relative positions,

thereby making it possible to dispose the arms of the corpse in manydifferent positions of repose.

In use the arm grapples 1, 2, are hooked beneath the arms of thecorpseand shifted with respect to the loops 12, 13, to hold the arms in somesuitable or artistic posture. At the same time the distance between thearm grapples 1, 2,.may be suitably adjusted by buckling the straps 3, 4,together in the desired position. With the arms thusly held, the corpsemay be embalmed and dressed in preparation for burial. Thereafter, whenit becomes necessary to transfer the corpse to a coffin, the arms willremain in position. It is to be noted that a great variety of differentarm positions can be obtained by various adjustments of the straps 3, 4,and the relative positionsof the arm grapples -1, 2, two of suchpositions being shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

It is also possible to provide a modified form of the present armholding device A as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The arm holding device Acomprises arm grapples 1', 2, substantially similar in structure andshape to the previously described arm grapples 1, 2. The arm grapples1', 2', are respectively provided with cavity-hooks 14, 15, havingterminal loops 16, 17, for encircling engagement with the arm grapples1', 2', respectively. The cavity hooks 14, 15, are designed to engagewith the edges of the visceral incision in post-mortem corpses as bestseen in Fig. 6.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form,construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of themethods and means for embalming bodies preparatory to burial may be madeand substituted for those herein shown and described without departingfrom the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. For use in embalming corpses, an arm holding device comprising anarcuate somewhat V-shaped member curved up at its outer extremities inthe formation of hook-like elements adapted to extend under and engagethe arm of a corpse on opposite sides of the elbow, and means forsecuring said member at the side of the abdominal portion of said bodyin the region of the elbow.

2. For use in embalming corpses, an arm holding device comprising anarcuate somewhat V-shaped member curved up at its outer extremities inthe formation of hook-like elements adapted to extend under and engagethe arm of a corpse on opposite sides of the elbow, and means foradjustably securing said member at the side of the abdominal port-ion ofsaid body in the region of the elbow.

3. For use in embalming corpses, an arm holding device comprising anarcuate somewhat V-shaped member curved up at its outer extremities inthe formation of hook-like elements adapted to extend under and engagethe arm of a corpse on opposite sides of the elbow, and strap means forsecuring said member at the side of the abdominal portion of said bodyin the region of the elbow.

4. For use in embalming corpses, an arm holding device comprising anarcuate somewhat -V-shaped member curved up -at-itsouterextremities inthe -formation ofhook-likeelements adapted to extend under and engagethe arm of a corpse on opposite sides of the elbow, and hook-means forsecuring saidmemberat the sideof the abdominal portion of said. body intheregioirof the-elbow.

5; Foruse in embalming corpses,anarm-holdin idevice-- comprising a pairofarm grapples adapted to extend along the'sides of the chest of-thecorpseandengage'thearms thereof, said arm grapples beingof-skewed'curvilinear somewhat wshaped contour and-being. mirror-imageswith respect toeach-other, and meansfor holding said-arm grapplesuponthe corpse:

6. For-use in embalrning corpses-,anarmholding device 7 comprising anarcuate somewhat V-shaped membercurved up at its-- outer extremities inthe' formation of hoolc like elementsadapted-to-extend under and engagethearm of a corpse on opposite sidesof-the-elbow, and means for up atits'outer extremities in the formation 'ofhook-like elements adapted'toextendunder and engage the arm 'of a corpse on opposite sides oftheelbow, and strap'means for securing said memberat the side of theabdominal portion of said body in the region of the elbow, said strapmeans engaging the V-shaped member looselyso that the V-shapedmember canbe shifted endwise in said strap means for varying the arm holdingposition=thereof.

8. For use in embalming corpses, an arm holding device comprising-anarcuate somewhatV-shaped member curvedup at its outer extremities inltheformation of hook-like elements adapted to extend under and engage thearm of a corpse on opposite sides of the elbow, and strap means forsecuring said member at the side of the abdominal portion of said bodyin the region of the elbow, said strap means being provided at its endswith a closed loopwhich encircles the V-shaped member intermediatethecurved extremities thereof so as to permitthe V-shaped member to beshiftedendwise with respectto the strap .for adjusting ,i

the arm holding position -thereof..

9. For use in embalming corpses, an arm holding device comprisinganarcuate somewhat V'-shaped member curved up at its outer extremitiesin the. formation of hook-like elements adapted to extend under andengage the arm of a corpse on opposite sides of the elbow, andhook-means for securing said member at the side of the abdominal portionof said body in the region of the'elbow, said hook means engaging theV-shaped member loosely so that the V-shaped member can be shifted"endwise in'said hook means for varying the arm holding positionthereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,845,338 Querna Feb. 16,-1932 2,180,270 Anderson Nov. 14, 19392,496,605 Simmons Feb. 7, 1950- 2,538,282 Spurgeon Jan. 16, 19512,777,187 Simone Jan. 15, 1957

